4 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves”

Jill, we still don’t in fact now what happened to Henry so I am not willing to put it down to a dog. Re our hopes, there are so many variables in what will or won’t bring back or keep our birds around. For example, I don’t know that anyone has done much of a look at the impact of the growing number of ibises in all the wetlands of Sydney; I love em, but do they represent competition for other water birds. There is also so much permanent human environmental change that impacts on our bird populations that it may be too much to expect a return to earlier days. You will have seen my own FB post about this in relation to the changes in bird populations I have noticed in Sydney Park over 20 years of going there, none of which can be ascribed to animal behaviour and all of which can be ascribed to Councils continually fiddling with the Park to suit this years parkland fad. The web of life is so damnably and wondrously complex that we have to recognise that some of what we do, indeed much of what we do has consequences we barely understand. I am not excusing irresponsible dog and cat owners (and let’s always remember that cats are a significant killer of urban birdlife much more so than dogs) but I do think we have to step back and look at the totality of what we do in an ecosystem and come to grips with the range of interventions we have made and look at multiple interventions to do what we can to regain some of what we have lost. 😦

Thanks Paul for setting the record straight. I didn’t mean to join in with the demonising of dogs – if a dog was responsible it’s ultimately the owner’s fault anyway. And whether dog, cat or sadistic human, Henry’s death still symbolises for me the impact thoughtless humans have had on this environment.

I think the swans’ success in raising even one clutch of babies is wondrous, considering the obstacles. It’s disappointing (understatement!) that Council can’t also appreciate that and support the continued flourishing of all the park’s bird life. I was appalled by the destruction of habitat that you described in your FB post. So shortsighted. Meanwhile, just down the road, other councils are trying to regenerate wetland habitats along the Cooks – what an irony.